Chief Arbiter

"A testing ground?" Li Qingyan murmured under her breath, a faint trace of mockery curling the corner of her crimson lips. Glancing across the vast ancient city, she let out an amused sigh. "Those leaders from ten thousand years ago certainly had nerve—building a testing ground to pen up millions of people like livestock?" Noticing her expression, Xu Yuan gave a wry, quiet laugh. "It was probably an act of desperation. That remnant soul in the soul ring once mentioned that humanity ten thousand years ago was on the verge of extinc—" "Consort, I am not entirely ignorant of the great calamity ten thousand years ago." Li Qingyan lowered her eyes, looking at her palm encased in the brownish-red armor, and clenched it tight. "I am merely wondering if, standing in their shoes, I could have made the same correct decision." *The correct decision...* Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled softly at her. "Borrowing trouble. If a great calamity ever falls, I believe you will make the most correct choice, Qingyan." Li Qingyan snorted softly. "Are you really so sure?" Xu Yuan shook his head, holding her gaze. "I'm not sure. But I know that when a race faces extinction, benevolence and mercy cannot save the world. Only iron blood and absolute authority can." Li Qingyan fell silent for a beat. The look in her eyes turned intrigued as she asked deliberately, "If that is truly the case, what difference remains between humans and wild beasts?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes at the princess, an odd humor in his voice. "The way you ask that makes me feel like I'm talking to my fourth sister." With that, the corner of his lips tilted upward. "Qingyan, you've fought the Barbarians for over a decade. You should know the answer to that better than I do. Righteousness and morality only hold validity in times of peace." "Heh..." Li Qingyan let out a crisp laugh, her phoenix eyes curving into crescent moons with a flicker of excitement. "Changtian, you and I truly do get along." "Not calling me 'consort' anymore?" Xu Yuan asked softly. Li Qingyan tilted her head playfully. "Doesn't calling you Changtian make us feel closer?" Xu Yuan shivered and quipped, "A cute expression doesn't suit you at all." "Hmph." Li Qingyan gave a cold snort and shook her head, thoroughly unimpressed, her demeanor instantly reverting to its customary noble aloofness. "Enough nonsense. Changtian, since you know this place is a testing ground for penning aberrant ghosts, you must know how to operate the formations of this crypt, right?" A flicker of approval showed in Xu Yuan's eyes. Her questions were always simple, direct, and straight to the heart of the matter. Just like the movies from his past life, a research facility working on viruses always had layered security measures. If this was indeed a testing ground for transforming humans into aberrant ghosts, there had to be formations in place to control them. Otherwise, the 'human race' here could never have survived for ten thousand years. Unfortunately... Xu Yuan shook his head directly. "I don't." "Hm?" Li Qingyan was taken aback by his reply, then pressed, "But you said earlier that the way out was nearby." "Did I ever say we were getting out using the formation?" "......" Li Qingyan had no reply. Xu Yuan glanced toward the city interior and said in an undertone, "Let's head into the city first to find that 'Chief Arbiter' and ask her about the situation here." "Find—" Li Qingyan instinctively began to object, but Xu Yuan simply raised a palm and looked at her quietly. Their eyes met. Li Qingyan looked at his raised hand, hesitated for a moment, and swallowed her words, her voice cold and aloof: "Fine... We do it your way." Xu Yuan smiled faintly and explained, "The tunnels near this cavern run in every direction. Relying solely on the two of us to find that exit would be like searching for a needle in the sea. If we talk to that Chief Arbiter and get her to mobilize her people to help search, it will be far easier." With that, the two leaped down, their silhouettes vanishing from the panic-stricken city wall. Though this subterranean city covered a vast expanse, its interior was eerily deserted. The districts near the city wall were utterly devoid of sound. Walking through the streets felt like treading through a ghost city of the underworld, the surrounding darkness hanging like ghost qi around them. The layout of this ancient city resembled the mortal cities Xu Yuan had seen in period dramas in his past life. There were no official thoroughfares specially paved for demonic beast carriages like those in Great Yan, and the urban planning was a tangled mess. Main roads and side alleys twisted and intertwined, while markets, taverns, and commercial districts jumbled together with residential dwellings. One could faintly discern traces of its bustling prosperity from ten thousand years ago. Yet now... a gentle push might reduce these dilapidated buildings to rubble. Before they had walked very far, Li Qingyan suddenly grabbed his hand, gazing toward the distant sky with an odd look in her eyes. "Someone is coming, and their aura isn't weak at all." "Oh?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. For Li Qingyan to offer such an evaluation, the newcomer had to be at least a Grandmaster. "That Chief Arbiter is actually a Grandmaster?" Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes flickered. After sensing for a moment, she uttered two words: "Higher." Xu Yuan's pupils shrank. "Origin Realm?" "Mhm." Li Qingyan gave a slight nod. Pausing for an instant, she added, "She has spotted you." With that, she unhurriedly drew her saber from her Sumeru ring. "......" Seeing her nonchalant composure, Xu Yuan's eyelid twitched. *Wait, sister, you cultivate military arrays! Can you even beat an ordinary Origin Realm cultivator on your own? Why are you so calm?* After a brief silence, Xu Yuan remarked with a hint of amusement, "Ordinarily, those who cultivate military arrays shouldn't be a match for individual cultivators..." "Changtian, do you think I am ordinary?" "......" Xu Yuan was speechless. *Damn it, all geniuses deserve to die.* *Except the big ice block.* After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan let her be. Though he had no idea why an Origin Realm expert would appear in this desolate, godforsaken underground, as long as they shared a language, communication was possible. Besides, given the current state of this subterranean city, the two sides were unlikely to come to blows. If they caused too much of a commotion and drew over the true master of this Silent Crypt, everyone would be doomed together. With that in mind, Xu Yuan stood quietly in place, waiting for the arrival of that Chief Arbiter. "......" Once the two came to a halt, the surroundings fell utterly silent. A moment later, a clear, melodious woman's voice drifted down from the sky, speaking somewhat awkward Great Yan speech: "Who... are you?" "......" *Here she comes.* Looking toward the voice, Xu Yuan first caught sight of a pair of bare, slender, jade-white legs. The calves and shins were perfectly proportioned, the curve of her calves possessing the taut, beautiful line of a drawn bow—graceful and alluring, yet brimming with the strength of a leopardess, radiating an intoxicating allure. *Another leg goddess, though sadly her skin is so pale it's almost frightening—not nearly as pleasant to look at as my princess's legs.* Letting his idle thoughts drift, Xu Yuan shifted his gaze upward. Once he saw her face, his brows lifted slightly. A beautiful woman always brought a pleasant mood. She wore a crown of thorns upon her head. Her dark brows resembled newly sprouted leaves, and her bright eyes shone like morning stars. A sheer veil concealed her lower face, though through the gentle breeze, one could faintly glimpse peerless, breathtaking beauty, alongside pink lips that resembled fresh water chestnuts—tender, delicate, and dewy. Furthermore, the fabric of her garments differed vastly from that of the ordinary soldiers. Her wide sleeves and diaphanous cloth flowed like silky mist, clinging perfectly to the undulating, voluptuous curves of her shapely silhouette. A blood-red pendant rested flat against her softly rising and falling chest, casting an eerie crimson glow into the ink-black air. Soon, however, Xu Yuan noticed an air of familiarity in her attire. *Could this be another one of my 'old acquaintances'?* At that thought, his gaze turned peculiar. Because within this Silent Crypt, apart from aberrant ghosts, it should have been impossible for any of his 'old acquaintances' to exist. As he pondered, Li Qingyan glanced up at the woman in the air and spoke, her voice chilling as frost: "Come down and speak. I dislike looking up at others." "......" Sensing the aura of the woman below, the Chief Arbiter fell silent for a heartbeat, then drifted down like a falling leaf, coming to a halt thirty feet in front of them. Her voice rang clear: "You two do not appear to belong to our Seven Cities Covenant. Could you have come from... the surface?" The woman's voice sounded calm, yet when she reached the word 'surface,' a distinct tremor crept into her tone. Xu Yuan heard that tremor, and Li Qingyan naturally caught it as well. Instead of replying immediately, Li Qingyan glanced sideways at the 'supreme commander' beside her, only to find the damned man staring unblinkingly at the woman opposite them, showing no intention of answering. With an inward snort, Li Qingyan turned to appraise this strangely dressed vixen. Under normal circumstances, ten thousand years was more than enough time to erase many things. To her and Xu Yuan, this place was underground; but to those born and raised here across countless generations, this was their entire world. *A frog in a well that knows how vast the heavens outside are...* That was indeed somewhat beyond her expectations. With a light chuckle, Li Qingyan said in her raspy, amused voice, "You know about the surface as well? Observing the conversations of the others in the city earlier, they seemed completely unaware that a surface even existed." Hearing this half-affirmative answer, the hand hidden within the Chief Arbiter's wide sleeve tightened slightly. "I oversee the archives of the seven cities. Within them lies information concerning the surface." Li Qingyan nodded in understanding and sheathed her saber back into her Sumeru ring. "After ten thousand years, your civilization never experienced a complete collapse of knowledge. Impressive." Histories could be rewritten, and the written word burned. A single coup or power struggle could distort true history beyond recognition. For these people to still preserve knowledge of the surface after ten thousand years was truly no small feat. Beneath her veil, the Chief Arbiter's fair countenance managed a strained smile. A flicker of hesitation crossed her bright eyes as she requested, "I hope you two will refrain from broadcasting this matter within the city." Li Qingyan gave a soft, amused snort and nodded with gallant ease. "Naturally." The Chief Arbiter offered her thanks, then spoke again, forcing her voice to remain steady: "May I ask how the surface—" "Hey, do you plan to just have us stand here and talk?" Xu Yuan finally spoke up. Looking at the excited woman, he chuckled softly. "Even if you've been down here for ten thousand years, you should still understand some basic hospitality, right?" "......" Seeing the handsome young man interrupt her, the Chief Arbiter frowned slightly and instinctively glanced at Li Qingyan. "......" Seeing her reaction, Xu Yuan sighed faintly in his heart. *Damn it, it really is her.* Bai Muxi. An extreme worshipper of the strong—the kind who would bear a strong man's children simply because of his strength. A woman who loved daylight, hated the dark, and stood by the sea every morning just to watch the dawn break. None of that mattered, though. What truly mattered was that in *Cangyuan*, she had never appeared in the Silent Crypt—her debut had been at a coastal port within Great Yan. Sensing Xu Yuan's strange mood, Li Qingyan found it amusing and sent a puzzled voice transmission: *You aren't genuinely upset because this woman looked down on you, are you?* Xu Yuan looked up with a smile and replied via transmission: *Of course not. In a desperate place like this, both men and women worship strength. With my meager cultivation, it's completely normal for her to look down on me.* *Then why do you have that look on your face?* *Because the exit recorded in our Prime Minister's Residence's intelligence might not exist anymore.* "......" Li Qingyan was rendered speechless. There was only one reason why Bai Muxi—who should never have been in the Silent Crypt—was here right now. The exit in Xu Yuan's memories was most likely dug out by this very Bai Muxi in her bid to escape the crypt. Judging by her intense excitement at seeing two outsiders, she hadn't even begun preparing her escape plan yet. They had arrived too early. The simplest shortcut out was gone. Still, it didn't matter. He had other ways to bypass the rules. And if push came to shove, he could strike a deal with that Barbarian Heterodox King and borrow his power to blast straight through this Silent Crypt. "......" While Xu Yuan was lost in thought, the three fell into silence for a few breaths. Bai Muxi's gaze shifted back and forth between Xu Yuan and Li Qingyan. Ultimately, it was Li Qingyan who broke the silence: "Chief Arbiter, this is my commander. Between the two of us, he takes the lead." "......" Hearing this, Bai Muxi looked puzzled. She could not understand why such a powerful figure would take orders from someone so weak. Xu Yuan understood her mindset all too well. He chuckled softly and said, "Chief Arbiter, the surface is not the underground. Cultivation level does not decide everything. Do you understand?" Bai Muxi's bright eyes flickered for a moment. Folding her wide sleeves together, she bowed respectfully. "If so, forgive my discourtesy. Please, follow me to the Divine Palace for a discussion." Li Qingyan did not let down her guard, sending a voice transmission to Xu Yuan: *Changtian, do you know about this Divine Palace?* Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, recalling the bizarre statues in *Cangyuan*, and replied softly: *The Chief Arbiter is the title adopted by the shamanesses who welcome the gods. Surviving in a place like this requires some kind of faith and hope. As for their so-called god, it's probably the same concept as the Barbarians' Barbarian God.* Pausing for a second, he added another reminder via transmission: *By the way, Qingyan, you don't need to worry about her attacking us. Her cultivation hasn't actually reached the Origin Realm. Most of the aura radiating from her comes from that pendant gem on her chest. If it comes to blows, just be mindful of that—she is definitely no match for you.* "......" Hearing this intelligence, an odd feeling welled up within Li Qingyan. She was now beginning to suspect that his source of information was pulling his leg. Moreover, the way this damned man's intelligence changed with the wind was a textbook demonstration of turning trust back into worry. One moment he claimed to know little about this subterranean city, and the next he suddenly dropped such a bombshell. Letting out a helpless sigh, Li Qingyan murmured, "Fine, I understand." Xu Yuan gave a dry cough. "Rest assured, Qingyan..." Li Qingyan cut him off, her eyes curving. "Of course I'm at ease. At worst, I'll simply die for love alongside you here, Changtian. Well... I suppose I don't dislike that way of dying~"